Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-12-29
A STAMPEDE.
Terrible Experience of Hunter on
the Platte River.


Did you ever see n stampede OF but
faloesy No? Well, the man who has
seen one and lived to tell of it, has
witnessed ssectacle to be wildly
remembered all his days. A stampede
was a common occurrence in the lite of
every Western hunter twenty years
ago, but hide hunters haven't left a
score OF the animals alive.
During my time / have had several
close SLAVES from stampedes, but
little the closest call ever got was
the means OF saving my life. 1t was
in 1867, and pretty near on the line
between Kansas and Nebraska, at a
point between the Republican and
Solomon rivers. There was famous
erazingg for the buffalo ,andthere
he was left undisturbed, except by the
Indians, who killed only when they
wanted meat. have seen herds IN
that country which numbered up to
100000 and which covered the
prairie rs far as the eye could see.
What creates n stampede? Moth
ing-anything. While the buffalo is
born in q wild state, and ought to Get
accustomed to storms, the sight OF
wolves and all kinds of noises, he is
the most timid animal on earth. /
have seen the coming up of o dark
cloud stampede 10000 buffaloes. /
have known the howl of the wolf to
set ~ big herd in motion. A flash of
lightning or q clap Of thunder seemed
to scare them to DEATH although you
would argue that they would get used
to it. And once started nothing but
a mountain could turn the great wave
aside, and only exhaustion would
bring them back to their senses. Aft
err herd had fairly started, terror
seemed to have taken possession OF
them, and it was the devil seize the
last one. Then it was woe to the
pioneer or hunter who happened to
be in their path without grove
to shelter him. saw, in 1867, on the
Loup Fork of the Platte river, an en-
igrant camp which had been run over
by stampede. There had been seven
wagons and twenty.four people, with
about thirty head OF horses and cat
tie. The rushing, terror stricken herd
6DIuCh lltoA UO Ceihy tthi
was fifteen or twenty minutes passing.
Only one human being escaped-a man
who was caraied off on the back OF a
buffalo and left at spot ten miles
away. Not an animal was left, not @
vehicle esca ped destruction. | saw the
sight OF the camp about noon OF that
day, and there wasn't piece OF any
of the heavy wagons which | could
4 ia
The people had been trampled into
the Observation-Disclosures out.
The remains could scarcely be recog-
nized as those OF human beings.
But to my own adventure. There
were four hunters OF us in the locality
SPOKEN OF, killing various kinds OF
game, and doing a little trapping. and,
though there were plenty OF redskins
in that country, they did not get to
us for a week. We had a camp on a
small run or creek, with grove OF
about dozen trees for shelter, and
about two miles to the north was a
spring and another grove. The In
dams hadn't got hold OF the Winches-
tiers, and knew nothing of revolvers in
those days, and q war party OF less
than twenty-five would have hesitat-
ed to attack four hunters. We kept
eyes open, however, and one was on
the watch while the other three slept.
We had been in camp nine or ten
days, and constantly SURF rounded by
buffaloeS. when one afternoon just be-
fore sunset it was apparent from the
actions of the animals that something
was in the wind The detachments
were consolidated, all stray bulls
Joined the herds, and almost
every buffalo ceased feeding and acted
anxiousIy and i'll at ease. That meant
Indians Curious MS you may think
it, the presence of Indians will disturb
the bulfaloes sooner than that of the
white man. We couldn't say whether
it was war party hanging around to
attack MS, or a hunting party hover
ing on the TANKS of the great herd. but
we made all preparations that night
to defend ourselves.
have spoken Of the second grove.
1t was composed OF few stunted cot
tonwoods, and was in on sense a shell
ter. Now this is what happened dur
ing the night. A war party of thirty
five Indians took up their position in
this little grove, calculating to sweep
down on us at daylight and carry our
camp by storm. Along toward day
light they mounted and rode softly
down to within quarter of q mile or
us. and there waited for day break.
They would not be observed by the
senteniel, but would make rush and
carry the camp. Well, it was just
coming day, and five minutes more
would have discovered them to the
sentinel, when the big herd, which had
been gathered to the north OF us, be-
gan stampede.
The sentinel heard them ut the frs
start off, and reused lis up, and
the time we had our guns in hand "
could see the Indian war party. They
knew what was up better than we did,
but they were caught between two
fires. and the chief was too slow wit ted
for the occasion. His policy should
have been to charge us. He might
have Inst six or eight men, but the
shelter at the grove would have saved
The rest and given them our ScaIDS to